More Medical Problems. Should I Sell? What’s your opinion?

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Owens Corning Foamular 250 pink insulation. I was using it to make a little cabinet thing.

I was routing it to shape it nicely.

I was wearing a 3M p100 charcoal face mask while machining it.

It produces a gas that smells like ozone and seers your lungs when you are routing it. This gas gets right though the mask I had on which was primarily for dust since the SDS basically says this foam is safe.

So sorry to hear how this has affected your life, and while working with such a seemingly innocuous material. But it sounds like you’re really thinking your situation through carefully and have everything out on the table so I’m confident you’ll find the right answer that suits you best.

Ive had a respirator for years but only used it once and then put it aside because it was ‘too uncomfortable’. After reading this thread I went out and bought new filters for it yesterday so I can wear it while doing some feathering of bottom paint with my orbital sander that has flaked off in a few areas. Ive already switched to water based bottom paint (Sea Hawk Monterey) to avoid breathing solvent fumes while applying it. But after reading your story here I plan to keep my respirator on hand and actually use it rather than just trusting to luck like I have too many times in the past. So thanks for sharing this with us. It was a much needed wake up call for me and I suspect quite a few others as well.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Chotu

That’s what the whole thread is about. Living my life.

I’m tired of putting it on hold and the heart attack has made it basically unbearable to put it on hold any longer.

There is no reason a heart attack should put you life on hold! Lots of us have had heart attacks.

But you need to work in a safer manner, i.e. get a respirator/better ventilation etc., if you are going to continue on this boat

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

There is no reason a heart attack should put you life on hold! Lots of us have had heart attacks.

But you need to work in a safer manner, i.e. get a respirator/better ventilation etc., if you are going to continue on this boat

Why don’t people read if they are responding???

Damn that’s frustrating.

THERE IS NOTHING ANYWHERE IN THIS THREAD TALKING ABOUT HEART ATTACKS PUTTING MY LIFE ON HOLD.

Jeez!

I SAID, I’m tired of putting my life on hold for all these years building a boat!

And SEVERAL times now, I’ve listed exact models of my various respirators IN THIS THREAD.



At least I can now see it’s not just the technical threads that people don’t read anything but post and post and post making wild assumptions about the situation when it’s already been discussed up thread in great detail.

Even the quote above in your post says I’m tired of putting my life on hold and the heart attack is making it unbearable to do so for longer.

Very hard to have a conversation on here sometimes.

That’s exactly why I have the footer with the epoxy stuff.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I built the boat because I CANT afford a ready made one.

I wonder... What would the cost be of buying an off the shelf boat (power or sail) in need of an interior refit and then having someone gut and re-do the interior for you (giving everything a thorough cleaning and paying attention to potential mold sources in the process)?



Or maybe the answer would be one of the older Euro styled express cruiser types? Many of those have a lot of non-wood (non-absorbent) materials in the interior and a lot less hidden spaces than a typical sailboat or larger powerboat.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Why don’t people read if they are responding???

Damn that’s frustrating.

thanks, I now know exactly what to do!

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

I wonder... What would the cost be of buying an off the shelf boat (power or sail) in need of an interior refit and then having someone gut and re-do the interior for you (giving everything a thorough cleaning and paying attention to potential mold sources in the process)?



Or maybe the answer would be one of the older Euro styled express cruiser types? Many of those have a lot of non-wood (non-absorbent) materials in the interior and a lot less hidden spaces than a typical sailboat or larger powerboat.

Except, that’s what I already have, only way better than off the shelf.

I have a seriously good boat without an interior or rig.

It’s done about 1500 nautical miles so far.

If I do keep the boat, I’ll be always and forever needing to work on things similar to doing the interior. Systems break and need to be replaced over the years. So maybe just getting that extra help to get the inside done will be the boost needed.

The thread is an evolution. As days here in bed go by, perspectives change. Things start to become clear.

My goal/life is traveling everywhere and enjoying different cultures and cuisines. I like to do this via a movable home. Boats make the best movable home. RVs are second best.

So I’m trying to find the shortest AND best path to get traveling.

There are also huge financial implications in quitting the boat. Obviously I have a lot of time and money into it. Walking away and selling an unfinished boat means I lose all that. People don’t pay much for project boats. So completing it, even by hiring help, is likely a better financial decision.

But the heart attack still has me questioning the payments in time I owe to this boat. An RV means travel starts tomorrow (figuratively). Boat means travel is still years off.

I think the idea above a little way back in the thread about getting a crew together and fine tuning my income stream a bit to improve the speed of the project is the best one if we are talking about boats at all.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I think the idea above a little way back in the thread about getting a crew together and fine tuning my income stream a bit to improve the speed of the project is the best one if we are talking about boats at all.

That's probably the best option, yes. But while the boat is being worked on, you could always travel by RV or find a cheaper boat to use for a year and then sell, that way you're not just sitting around waiting for the cat to be finished (and if it takes 2 years, you don't miss out on much).

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

That's probably the best option, yes. But while the boat is being worked on, you could always travel by RV or find a cheaper boat to use for a year and then sell, that way you're not just sitting around waiting for the cat to be finished (and if it takes 2 years, you don't miss out on much).

Yes. Sort of. Boat projects demand a true, full time project manager though.

At one point during the hull build, I had 4 GREAT guys on. One from the Hinckley yard and one from Hunter. Then two laborers.

This was for the big push putting together the cross beams, fairing, etc.

My full time job during that was fixing broken tools and interpreting plans as well as inspecting every inch of laid glass and coves/fillets for improper laminating, air bubbles or any mistakes.

Then I decided I could go away for a summer and have a crew of 3 do the deckhouse finishing touches.

They botched EVERYTHING without someone there every day to guide them. All the things wrong with the boat are on the deckhouse. Plus I found out later they were taking hour long smoke breaks on my dime several times a day.

Unfortunately, if I go the route of assembling a team, I have to be there to guide them , to get materials, to fix tools, etc etc.

This doesn’t compare to regular boat work people think of. It’s more like building a new house. Well, actually like building 3 new houses in terms of money and time.

So I have to stay and power through to the end of it goes this route.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Yes. Sort of. Boat projects demand a true, full time project manager though.

At one point during the hull build, I had 4 GREAT guys on. One from the Hinckley yard and one from Hunter. Then two laborers.

This was for the big push putting together the cross beams, fairing, etc.

My full time job during that was fixing broken tools and interpreting plans as well as inspecting every inch of laid glass and coves/fillets for improper laminating, air bubbles or any mistakes.

Then I decided I could go away for a summer and have a crew of 3 do the deckhouse finishing touches.

They botched EVERYTHING without someone there every day to guide them. All the things wrong with the boat are on the deckhouse. Plus I found out later they were taking hour long smoke breaks on my dime several times a day.

Unfortunately, if I go the route of assembling a team, I have to be there to guide them , to get materials, to fix tools, etc etc.

This doesn’t compare to regular boat work people think of. It’s more like building a new house. Well, actually like building 3 new houses in terms of money and time.

So I have to stay and power through to the end of it goes this route.

You'd want to be around, but that doesn't mean you couldn't do local boating and go somewhere on a weekend here and there. Plus, finding something suitable for that would be easier to do on a budget (and would carry a decent chance of finding something you could use for a year and sell with minimal to no loss).

[sjrider]

I'm sad to hear about your latest health problems. I dont really know who you are, and have not had health problems myself. I do know plenty of people who have.

I have many friends and family members who keep putting off their dreams for one reason or another:

If they work a few more years then they will have the money/time/etc. to pursue their goals. Far to often life just gets in the way, something happens and they continue to work a "few more years"

Life is short, and becomes shorter the older we become.

From what I have gathered from reading your posts, the goal is to travel internationally and to experience other cultures. Do the means of travel matter? If it is not a sailboat then an RV. If not an RV then maybe a van, if not a van then why not rent a place for a few months at a time, experience the culture, then move to another rental in another country. Live the dream, change the details when needed.

My dad died at 63 years old, before he did he told me to keep living my dreams, "even if the details change."

I personaly would not waste anymore time, and go now if you have the means to. The details of how, might change as the travels begin.



I wish you the best with whatever you decide.

[donradcliffe]

You are not going to like my advice, but you never have. If you look hard at your goals, and your chances of achieving them in your lifetime, its time to change course and abandon the boat project.

It is a wakeup call that your days on this planet are numbered, and with the hand you have been dealt you probably won't live to the median age (unless you can learn to control your anger).

I spent 8 out of the last 12 months in an RV, and never saw a speck of mold, but I spent most of my time in drier areas. As far as I can tell, the body is a fiberglass shell, but its not epoxied anywhere. With covid restrictions, it didn't meet my expectations of experiencing other cultures, but these will pass, and you can go remote in the Baja to find people who are happy with no money.

I did miss my time at sea, but I will get another dose this summer when I bring one of the Transpac boats home.

The heart attack is not as bad as getting diagnosed with cancer. Read

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...cer-61193.html

and realize how lucky you are.

Good luck on your decisions.